It felt like a Hail Mary when I applied for a dental hygiene degree completion program through UBC, where only 18 people would be accepted. I told the UBC admin person my story about how why I was so passionate about providing dental hygiene for rural communities. They were like, “Yeah, you’re accepted!” And I was like, “Oh, shit!”

When I worked in mainstream communities, I felt like I didn’t fit in. I wasn’t as passionate about working in areas where people had daily access to professional oral hygiene services. I couldn’t stop thinking about the people in Canada and other parts of the world who wouldn’t get to have their teeth cleaned - ever.